1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method and system for data processing in general, and in particular to a method and system for performing a numerical estimation within a data processing system. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and system for performing a logarithmic estimation within a data processing system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A general purpose processor typically cannot perform a logarithmic function as efficiently as other mathematical operations such as additions, subtractions, and multiplications. A logarithmic function is likely to require many more processor cycles than a relatively processor cycle-consuming multiplication operation. The present disclosure provides a method for performing a logarithmic estimation, i.e., y=log.sub.2 x, within a general purpose processor, where both the argument x and the result y are represented in a floating-point format. Without loss of generality, the floating-point format used for the purpose of illustration is the IEEE 754 format.